


First Sleep

by katsky



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Post-Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Post-War, Romance, Tumblr: romionequickiefest
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:20:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28176036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katsky/pseuds/katsky
Summary: From when Harry, Ron and Hermione leave the headmasters office in DH. They make their way to the Gryffindor common room to finally sleep. Was going to be a one-shot but just seeing where it goes.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Harry Potter/Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley
Comments: 3
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter 1

As they left the headmasters office, there was an unspoken decision to walk towards the Gryffindor tower. Harry walked with purpose, but the exhaustion was clear to Hermione. His feet dragged slightly, and it seemed his eyes were barely staying open. She then realized she was probably walking the same way, she hadn't remembered making the decision to walk, she just was, likely in large part due to Ron’s grip on her hand, helping her move forward. They all walked in silence, side by side, the sounds of shuffling feet and uneven breaths between them. Once they got to the portrait of the Fat Lady, she glanced up expecting to have to negotiate their entrance, but it was hanging off the wall slightly, as if off its hinges. Harry pulled the door open and they made their way through. Hermione held her breath slightly, hoping it wouldn’t be too damaged. She sighed in relief when they all stepped in and paused. The common room was untouched, she smiled slightly and saw that Ron and Harry were looking around, their reactions similar to hers.

“Looks like it could be any other day,” said Ron.

Harry nodded and made his way towards the stairs to the boy's dormitory. There was one brief moment where Hermione hesitated, mentally questioning where she would sleep, but that was quashed quickly as Ron gripped her hand slightly tighter and wordlessly followed Harry. He had a rather determined gate in his step, it felt like he had made a choice and was running with it, he didn’t want to give her a chance to question or overthink it. She smiled slightly as she followed him up the stairs. Harry had entered the 6th year's room, which she thought was technically their last room here. Harry was taking his coat off, Ron moved to do the same.

“We should shower, it’s important we shower to make sure nothing gets infected” she heard herself say as she started to look for towels in her bag. 

“Hermione, I died today. I’m knackered, I just need to sleep” Harry said without any disdain. 

“No mate, she’s right, we’re covered in Merlin knows what. It’ll take 5 minutes”. 

Harry sighed as he kicked off his shoes, sitting on the edge of the bed, peeling his socks off. Hermione moved to do the same, sitting next to Ron on the bed without thinking. Their thighs touched and warmth radiated from him, she paused for a moment and looked to her left, he smiled at her slightly and continued to take his shoes off. Harry stood and made his way to the bathroom, Ron hopped up and offered her his hands, avoiding eye contact as he helped hoist her up. She grabbed the towels she had pulled out and followed Harry. He had stepped into the furthest stall on the right, she threw a towel over the stall door. Ron made his way into a stall near Harry’s and pointed at the stall next to his, gesturing for her to go in. She noted it was the stall furthest from the door as she stepped in and started quite literally peeling the clothes off her body. She tried to think back to when she had last changed, it was after Gringotts, which at this point felt like a lifetime ago. She turned the water on to let it get hot, and once undressed she went to put down her wand as she always did on the stool outside, but she hesitated. She couldn’t put it down. She felt silly but was just too tired to think about it. She stepped in, under the steaming water and hissed.

“You ok?” she heard Ron ask 

“Yes, ahh it just…” 

“We’ll go to the hospital wing once we wake up, reckon we all need a once over”.

She nodded knowing he couldn't see it, but was now more focused on how incredible the shower felt. She tilted her head back and let the water run down her hair and back. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, feeling calm for the first time in a long time. She looked around and saw a couple of bottles of shampoo that she quickly used. The water ran black with all the soot and grime that was coming off her. She scrubbed her body with a bar of soap, still awkwardly holding her wand in her hands and she cleaned herself. She heard Harry and Ron step out, thinking about how they did not have an outlandish amount of hair to watch. She sped up putting conditioner through her hair, slightly grateful to not have the time to examine all the various new markings on her body. She heard them chat briefly before she turned the water off as the bathroom door opened and closed. She moved quickly, not wanting to be alone in the room. But after she wrapped the towel around her body and opened the stall door with a slight panic, she came face to face with Ron. 

“You didn’t have to wait for me, sorry for taking longer”

He just shook his head slightly. 

“Can’t say I’m too keen on leaving you alone anytime soon.” 

She smiled, understanding, as the feeling was very mutual. She then took in how he just had the towel wrapped around his waist. His chest was covered in markings from god knows where she reached out to touch a particularly bad gash across his chest. He flinched slightly and she released she shouldn't have done it. 

“Sorry - I have the last little bit of dittany in my bag, let me grab it” 

She moved past him to the door as she thought she heard him starting to protest. Once back in the dorm she saw Harry pulling clothes out of her bag. 

“I should’ve pulled out sleeping clothes” 

“Don’t worry. I got it. Not a lot is clean but I left what I could find on the bed.” 

“Can you pull out the dittany?” 

He accio’d it quickly. Ron had followed her in and she motioned for him to sit on the bed. She grabbed the bottle from Harry and motioned for him to do the same. They sat next to each other, she was so tired she didn’t even realize what she was doing but looked at them both and identified the worst wounds. Harry first, he had a nasty open wound on the side of his head, a mean gash on his arm and a couple of burns on his shins in the shapes of galleons. She healed all of those and looked up at him 

“Any others bugging you right now?”

He looked at her with hooded eyes

“No, thank you, I just want to sleep” 

She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, he smiled and grabbed the shirt and boxers he had pulled out and made his way towards his old bed. She shifted her attention to Ron. Immediately putting a couple of drops on the chest wound before running her hands along his arms and looking for more wounds. Normally she would hesitate with this kind of physical contact, but she was in doctor mode, just looking for wounds that might risk infection if untreated. She did notice how a blush had crawled across his body as she worked and how his eyes seemed glued to her face as she healed him. She found another nasty mark on the back of his shoulder, he jolted as she dropped the dittany on it. 

“Sorry,” she said automatically 

He stayed silent and shook his head. She moved to his legs, his body still only wrapped in the towel. He dripped the towel and said 

“My legs are ok, you sit down now” 

She looked up at him with a question in her eyes, she had been so focused on taking care of them she hadn’t considered herself. When she didn't move, he put out his hand and she gave him the bottle. He reached down and gripped her elbow, pulling her up to sit on the bed. She was staring at him, unabashedly now as he examined her. He was so concentrated, starting with the gash on her face on her lower lip and chin. Very gently, he put on a drop and then smoothed it over with his thumb. The warmth of him touching her face spread through her as she gaped up at him. His hands moved down her arms. 

“Does anywhere hurt?”

Everywhere, she thought but tried to focus to see if any part of her body was particularly bad. 

“My back and ankle” 

He nodded and used the hand on her shoulder to shift her forward, her forehead coming to rest against his chest as he looked at her back. There was a nasty, open-cut from midway down her spin, dipping below where her towel was wrapped around her.   
“Hermione, why didn’t you say something - Merlin this is bad.”

“Sorry” 

She felt his hands glide over the healing skin as she released a breath she didn’t know she was holding. They stayed like that, her leaning on him, his hands smoothing the skin on her back for a moment before they both heard a loud snore that made them both jump as they looked towards Harry’s bed where he had clearly collapsed, not bothering to close the curtains or get under the covers. They both chuckled slightly and Ron stepped bad, squatting down to examine her ankles. There was one deep cut right on her the back of her ankle, just above her left heel. Looking at it, her eyes widened. It had hurt but it did look particularly bad. Ron quickly put what was definitely a generous amount of dittany on it and again, waited for the skin to heal before rubbing his warm hand along the freshly healed spot. They both moved slowly, out of pure exhaustion as he stood up and she looked at the clothes Harry had pulled out. There were two of Ron’s shirts and a set of her pyjamas bottoms and a pair of boxers. She went to grab the black shirt, knowing the orange one was his favourite. Before she could, Ron picked up the orange one and put it in her hands. She looked up to say something but he had already started to put on the black one, and she was too tired to protest. He made a point to turn away and look out the window, given her a chance to change. Once she had she went to tap him on the shoulder, he turned and started towards his old bed. She stood for a moment, about to make her way to a different bed before she realized she really just wanted to slip into bed with him, and she wasn't going to think twice about it. She knew she slept better when he was near, she noticed it once he had come back. Whenever Harry was on watch, and she and Ron shared the tent, she always woke up at least a little bit rested. As he pulled the covers back he looked to her, as their eyes met he said 

“Please” gesturing to the bed. 

She didn't hesitate again, and made her way to the other side of the bed and slipped under the covers just as he did. The bed was big enough for both of them to lie on opposite sides of the pillow, with a slight space in between them. They both took a moment to settle in, and once they had they just stared at each other for a moment. She was trying to think of something to say while also trying to keep her eyes open as the pure exhaustion started to take over. She heard Ron take a breath before she felt his hand reach across her waist as he shifted to be on his back, and pulled her into his side. She sighed as she settled her head onto his chest finding herself seeking his heartbeat. He wrapped one arm around her shoulders and the other across her waist, holding her as tightly as he could against his side. She felt him nuzzle his nose into her hair before she felt him pull back slightly and kiss the top of her head. She felt herself smile against his chest and nuzzled in closer, though it didn’t seem possible. Her mind began to analyze how natural this whole interaction had felt, even though they had never done anything close to it before. She shifted so her legs were tangled with his and felt his grip on her tighten again. They both took a moment before exhaling simultaneously. There was a slight tension that appeared two people are waiting for the other to say something, but they both just relaxed slightly as sleep overtook them.


	2. The Next Day

When Ron opened his eyes and blinked at the bright light disrupting his sleep it took a moment to remember where he was. He was sure he normally would have shot up, wand in hand after waking up in an unfamiliar location but his body felt like it weighed 1000 pounds. That was the first thing he noticed, how fucking sore he was. His head was throbbing slightly, and he went to put his hands to his forehead before his eyes popped open as he realized he was clutching Hermione’s small body close against him. She shifted slightly and he froze, not wanting to wake her up, but panicking internally about how Hermione fucking Granger’s legs were intertwined with his, about how we could feel her lips against his chest. All of a sudden, the events of the last couple of days washed over him. It felt surreal, like watching a muggle movie. Arriving at Hogwarts, the chamber of secrets, the kiss. The one moment of elation he felt was quickly crushed by the wave of sadness that swept over him. Fred. He was staring up, blankly, clutching Hermione as he tried to process that Fred was gone. He felt tears hot in his eyes but for some reason knew he wouldn't really be able to understand that fact until was with his family. He heard Harry snore and realized he should probably try to sleep more. He paused and looked down at the mass of hair that was laying on his shoulder. His hand absentmindedly rubbed her back where the gash he had healed. He stressed slightly knowing that she definitely had more injuries she wasn’t letting on as that had been particularly nasty and she hadn’t even mentioned it at first. He had felt protective of her for, goodness, 7 years now but in the past 3 years and this year especially that protective instinct was only a part of what he felt. He remembered being young and trying to curse Malfoy for her, that sort of protectiveness has been brash. It was in 5th year when the urge to take care of her had also crept in. She was, without a doubt the strongest person he knew, she was independent and she wanted to think she didn’t need anyone taking care of her. He knew that wasn’t true. She spent all of her time and energy taking care of him and Harry. From homework to healing to just making sure they ate. She was so unbelievably compassionate and his heart swelled thinking about that. Even last night, her instinct was to take care of them. 

He kissed her head again and tried to think about what she would do right now. If she was up before him. She would make sure they were ok, and the next step would likely be food. He couldn’t think of the last time they ate. He didn’t want to move but didn’t have a house elf to call - he picked up his wand that was on the bed next to him, pressing into his side and cast a patronus. He thought of who to send it to, his parents were too overwhelmed, Ginny would just ignore the message and come see Harry, George was out, his brow furrowed when he thought about Percy because he still wasn’t totally comfortable with him being around, and Charlie wouldn't be helpful. He decided on Bill both out of necessity as he had run down the list, but also that at this point, he felt closer to Bill than anyone in his family. He spoke as softly as possible. 

“Hey, sorry we disappeared. In the Gryffindor 6th year boys dormitory, we were all knackered. Can you do me a favour and send up some food and drink with a house-elf? And maybe, if there is a healer around to come check us out? Don’t want to cause a scene in the infirmary but someone definitely needs to look over Harry. “

He paused

“Love you, thanks”

The family was normally not very affectionate but right now he thought he’d say that whenever he got the chance. He watched his patronus disappear and relaxed slightly.

Once he had he took a moment to appreciate that without a thought, he and Hermione had slept next to each other.

He obviously felt elated, he had dreamed about this since… what felt like forever, but definitely 4th year. It felt so natural, but a part of it wasn’t unexpected as they had a conversation at Bill and Fleur's wedding all those months ago...

~~~~~

“Come and dance” 

He didn’t mean for it to sound so forceful, but she looked a little pleased as he took her hand and quickly led her away from Viktor bloody Krum. 

He brought her out onto the dance floor and then immediately panicked. He turned around, faced her and had no idea what to do. She looked up at him expectantly and in that moment, decided to sod it all. They were about to leave for this quest, he had no idea what was about to happen, this may be the last moment they get to spend together without the weight of the wizarding world on their shoulders. The song playing was slightly upbeat but he wanted an excuse to hold her close. He stepped forward wrapping one hand snugly on her waist, trailing so his whole palm was flat on her lower back, bringing her closer to him. She stumbled slightly as he brought her close and grabbed her other hand mid-air, in the waltz position. 

He held his breath and realized he hadn’t fucking moved, he was standing there, staring at her. He started to sway and he maintained eye contact with her. 

They danced like that, staring intently at each other for another song. The beat was way more up-tempo then they were swaying to but neither made the effort to change their current pace. Eventually, a very slow song came on that did make their current pace appropriate. Ron moved their hands that had been mid-air in, bringing their clasped hands between their bodies, holding her hand against his chest. She gasped slightly as he did. They hadn’t broken eye contact in a couple of minutes now and he was well aware that this was, without a doubt the most intimate thing he had ever done. He leaned forward so their foreheads were touching. He wasn’t sure where he got the courage but his mouth was moving before his brain could stop it. 

“Harry may be the epicentre of all this, but it’s bigger than just him. I am fighting this war for you. For us. I need you to know that.”

He heard her suck in a breath and saw eyes water, he tried to hold her closer but it was physically impossible. She paused and while he thought he might panic after saying that, he actually felt relieved. 

She licked up lips and he could tell she was trying to find the right words. 

“When this is over….when this is done, we won’t waste another minute, ok?”

~~~~~

He smiled at the memory and felt quite satisfied that they had in fact, not wasted another minute. 

A pop across the room actually did make him sit up and point his wand pointed towards the noise. Hermione did the same and he kept one arm around her clutching her closely as they both breathed fast. 

Across the room, two houseleves were setting up a bunch of food. They snapped and a table appeared that had sandwiches, bowls of soup, snacks and some steaming kettles of tea. They looked over at the wizards pointing their wands unphased and the larger one said. 

“Mipsy did not mean to startle - Mipsy was asked to bring food and drink for the honourable heroes and inform them a healer would come by in 30 minutes” 

They both quickly lowered their wands, Hermione was still confused after just waking up. Ron said 

“Thank you so much - sorry for the wands, still on edge apparently.”

He paused 

“Were the house-elves able to leave? Were you kept safe during the battle?”

He swore he heard Hermione smile as he felt her move closer, which she did easily as his right arm was still wrapped tightly around her shoulders. 

“Mipsy thanks Mr. Weasley for asking - house-elves were very fortunate. Young ones left and those who wanted to fight did, we lost some but now are able to help repair Hogwarts and take care of those who fought.”

With that, they both disapparated and Ron immediately looked down to make eye contact with the girl in his arms. Again, before his brain could catch up his body was already moving. His left hand quickly held her cheek as he tilted his head, closed his eyes and kissed her firmly. He felt her stiffen for one millisecond and then felt her the hand currently clutching his chest to pull him closer. 

He moved his head slightly the other way and pressed his lips to hers once more, revelling in how fucking warm it made him feel before pulling away and just looking at her, hand still on her cheek, thumb running back and forth across her cheek. 

“Hi”

“Hi” 

“No more wasted time, yeah?” he heard himself say

Her eyes watered and she smiled

“Yeah”


	3. Putting her First

They held that position for a moment before she said

“What was that about a healer?”

He didn’t try to move any of his body away from her. 

“Oh, I send a patronus to Bill asking for some food to be sent here and for a healer to come by to check us out” 

She looked slightly taken back. 

“Oh that’s, well that’s perfect. Thank you. Did you sleep?”

“Yeah, I actually have no bloody idea what time it is”

They both looked out the window, based on the light he thought it might be mid-afternoon. Maybe they had slept for around 12 hours. 

She started to pull away to get up but she put a hand on her leg to stall her 

“Wait, wake up slowly, we’ve been through a lot, take a moment. Let me make you tea”

She looked at him slightly shocked, he was definitely being more thoughtful than she was used to, but in his mind, they were now officially something and he refused to muck that up. She deserved, the whole fucking world, and he wanted to treat her right, or at least try to treat her as well as she treated him. Her caring was effortless, a part of her and he watched people take advantage of it all the time, him and Harry probably being the worst culprits. She always put others first, and he was determined to put her first no matter what. 

He slipped out of bed and made his way towards the table, glancing at Harry who had made his way under the covers but was still in a deep sleep. 

He picked up the teapot that was labelled earl grey, her favourite and poured a mug. He added a splash of milk, no sugar and stirred it before cupping it in his hands and bringing it over to her. She had just been watching him this whole time, slightly dazed, sitting crossed legged on the bed. He handed the mug to her before turning around and going back to make a cuppa for himself. While there he popped a cookie in his mouth as he stirred his own tea. Once he was done he took the mug and made his way back to the bed where Hermione was slowly sipping on her tea. He sat down next to her. 

They shared a silent moment, sipping on tea, smiling at each other. Ron kept waiting to panic or feel awkward but there was an incredible calmness to their current situation. Did he felt… content? He couldn't pinpoint what this feeling was but he wasn’t going to try to question it. 

“How are you feeling?” she asked, “Are you ok?” 

He looked at her. 

“I have no idea,” he said honestly. 

“I suppose that’s fair.”

They were silent for a moment. 

“Ron” she started, her eyes beginning to water again “Ron, I’m so sorry about Fred. I’m so so sorry”

He put his hand up to stop her 

“I know and trust me, I will need you so much when I try to deal with it. I haven’t started yet, too much happened. I know you think I have a short emotional range and I think you’re bloody right because I can’t deal with everything that just happened, I don’t know how. Until I’m with my family I’m just letting myself be content for a minute. Yesterday was the worst day of my life but also, without a doubt the best. I need to focus on the good for just a couple more hours” 

“Ok. That makes sense. I… Don’t know what to do either.” she laughed as she said it. 

“We’ve been working towards this for… basically our whole lives, and now it’s done.”

He couldn’t tell if she was talking about the war or them. 

He could tell she was almost done with her tea and went to take the mug from her to refill it. After he did he put a couple of snacks and a sandwich on a plate and placed it between them on the bed. 

“Please eat something” 

She nodded quickly and grabbed the sandwich. He looked towards Harry and said 

“We should probably wake him before the healer arrives, yeah? Or do you reckon we should just let him sleep as long as possible?”

She took a moment and then said 

“Let’s let him sleep. The healer can look us over first”

He nodded in agreement and reached for a couple of crisps. 

They sat in comfortable silence, eating and drinking tea. 

“When you go to Australia, I’m coming with you.” He said 

She looked slightly taken back. To be fair, it had come out of nowhere. 

“I’m sorry that we have to wait a bit, just until the funerals are done. I know we need to go as soon as possible and I promise we will.”

“Ron, thank you but you don’t have to come. You should be with your family right now. It’s ok.”

He looked up at her and the air in the room shifted to a more serious tone. This is what he wasn’t going to let her do. She was going to take care of everyone else, she was not going to put herself first. So he would do it, he had learned from her how to be caring and compassionate and right now, he was going to be forceful about it. 

“No. No, Hermione, don’t do that. Not after this year, not after the last 7 sodding years”

She looked startled at his tone and words

“I know you, I know you better than anyone. You’re going to neglect what you need right now because you’re kind to a fault. You’re accommodating to a fault. You just gave up your entire childhood to fight this war and defeat you-know-who. You get to be selfish for the rest of your bloody life, though I know you won’t be.”

He put his mug down and grabbed both of her hands in his and looked at her intently. She seemed shocked, not hurt, but even he was surprised about how intense he was being. 

“I have no idea how to handle the next couple weeks, what’s outside that door, or what is about to happen. I need you and I know you need me too, but the one thing I need you to promise me, for Merlin's sake is that you will not try to make this easier for everyone else. Even if it’s just with me, I need you to tell me what you need, I need you to let me put you first, because while it comes naturally to you, I’m still learning, so I need your help.” 

She was still looking startled, he looked down at their clasped hands. He was scarred for a moment she was about to be mad but he heard her say

“Ok. I need you to come to Australia with me, I can’t do it alone. I can’t do it without you, I can’t bear the thought of being apart from you.”

He smiled and the action felt foreign on his face. 

“Good, I’m excited to travel. I’ve never been anywhere besides the UK and Egypt.”


	4. Chapter 4

They heard a knock on the door, he dropped her hands and moved towards the door, wand in hand. 

“Who is it?”

“Healer Jenkins - Bill Weasley asked me to come check on you. He told me to tell you I am a Chudley Cannons fans as well - that would make you trust me”

He snickered and opened the door slightly. 

Healer Jenkins was a tall man with dark hair and a pale complexion. He was in traditional green healer robes but they were worse for wear. He stuck out his hand and Ron shook it 

“I was in the same year as Bill, in Ravenclaw. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ron”

“Same to you, thank you for coming up. We did some basic healing last night but figured we all needed a proper examination”

“Whose we?”

Ron opened the door fully to reveal Hermione and Harry. Jenkin’s eyes widened and Ron realized that they would really have to adjust to this newfound celebrity status. 

“Godric - Um, hello Ms Granger, it’s a pleasure - and I assume that’s Mr Potter sleeping?”

“Please just use our first names mate, it’s weird.” Ron laughed 

“Sorry” he paused “Sorry - I should’ve figured it would be all of you. I just feel, well frankly, starstruck” 

Hermione laughed uncomfortably and said “Please don’t, we’re the same as everyone that fought last night” 

“Ms Granger - Hermione, we both know that’s not true”

She went to say something but Ron interrupted

“We wanted to let Harry keep sleeping, but can you look her over? We used essence of Dittany last night on any open wounds but think we’ve probably got other injuries that we haven’t noticed yet.”

“Of course - happy to help. Hermione, can you lie down on the bed and I’ll do a diagnostic spell?” 

Hermione looked slightly uncomfortable but made her way towards the bed they had slept in and sat on the edge. Jenkins moved to one side, Ron to the other. She looked up at Ron expectantly and he smiled down at her, nodding slightly. She moved to lie down properly but not without grabbing his hand in the process. 

“I’ll explain everything I’m doing - this is a basic spell that will let me know of any abnormalities or injuries, you won’t feel anything but there will be lights floating above what needs medical attention”

Ron really appreciated that he was explaining this, he realized he would’ve felt much more panicked if he didn't understand and the guy just started waving his wand over his girlfriend. His eyes bugged slightly when he automatically thought of Hermione as his girlfriend and she looked up at him quizzically. He smiled and squeezed her hand, embarrassed that she could see him blushing. 

“Hermione - what, I’m sorry I’ve never seen a burn pattern like this before. What happened with - round objects?”

She smiled shyly

“Oh um… we ah, robbed Gringotts and the security charm on the coins activated that makes them multiply and burn”

“Merlin ok well I’ll start with those, they are all 3rd-degree burns. You have three fractured ribs, a cut tendon in your ankle, a disc slightly out of place in your back, a minor concussion, 3 broken toes, and the remnant of a nasty hex in your back”. 

Ron felt the panic rise quickly. He had already failed at taking care of her, he should've made her see a healer last night, he had cocked this up already. 

“Are you sure? I’m really not in that much pain”

Ok good, she’s not hurting at least. Or was she lying?

“That’s not surprising, the amount of adrenaline running through your system has likely dulled your body's ability to process the injuries. I’m sure you’re all in shock still. I can fix all this up here and then I’ll come back with more potions for you later.”

He gripped Hermione's hand tightly as Jenkins performed a serious of spells. He pulled a couple of potions out of his kit and handed her 3. 

“Skelete-grow for the bones, pain potion for the concision and blood replenishing because I’m sure you lost some.”

Hermione through them back in quickly

“Urg that’s awful”. 

Jenkins said “Have a tea while I look over Ron”

She looked over at the table from her position sitting up, their hands still clasped. She made no move to go towards the tea and instead they just switched positions. Ron now lay on the bed and Jenkins started on the diagnostics. Ron squeezed Hermione’s hand and she bit her lip and looked down sheepishly. 

“Alright, Ron. Your shoulder is dislocated, you also have a concussion, one of your lungs is punctured - don’t know how you slept on that - you have two broken fingers, a bruised pancreas, your right knee got hit with some kind of curse and your left foot is broken.”

“RONALD you CANNOT lecture me about putting myself first when you just ignored ALL of those injuries!” she half yelled 

Harry kept out of bed, wand in hand in panic at the sound of Hermione yelling. His eyes were wide and he was shaking. 

“Oh Harry I’m so sorry, I meant to wake you up carefully. This is Healer Jenkins, he is looking over us all and Ronald here had failed to mention numerous serious injuries last night”

Jenkins spoke up “Hermione, it’s the same thing that happened with you - you’re bodies are in shock, I don’t think Ron concealed anything more than you did”

Ron looked up at her “I swear Hermione I’m not even in that much pain, I had no idea” 

She huffed and supposed it wasn’t fair for her to be mad when she had done the same thing. She dropped his hand through and made her way towards Harry who had just lowered his wand. She put both hands on the sides of his face and pulled him close to her

“Harry, you’re ok. You did it. Jenkins will look you over but let me get you tea and something to eat first, please sit.”

Harry just nodded slightly and backed up until the backs of his legs hit the bed and he slowly sat down, in a daze. 

Hermione rushed to make him a cup of tea and a plate and brought it over, while Jenkins was performing spells on Ron and picking out a few potion vials from his kit. Hermione placed the tea mug directly in Harry’s hand and made sure he took a couple of sips before turning her attention back to Ron. 

“Alright all fixed up, for now, you will also need additional positions and a check-up tomorrow to make sure everything is healing fine.”

Ron thanked him and moved off the bed. He jerked his head towards the bed to tell Harry to lie down. Harry still hadn’t said anything, he seemed in a daze but he lay down and Jenkins began. 

“Hi Mr Potter, Harry Potter, wow. Hi. I’m Healer Jenkins, Bill Weasley sent me up”

Harry nodded. Hermione and Ron were standing closer to Harry's bed, Hermione had subconsciously moved so that her back was flush against his front. Ron raised his eyebrows when she did, grateful she couldn't see. He tentatively placed a hand on her hip to keep her there. 

“Merlin’s fucking bollocks,” Jenkins said 

They all laughed 

“Sorry! Unprofessional, the um, the spell is old and incredibly standard, works for everything but merlin it does not know what to do with someone who survived the killing curse” 

Harry spoke for the first time 

“That makes sense”

Jenkins waived his wand around some more and said “Alright Mr Potter -”

“Harry” he interrupted

“Harry, sorry. You’ve got some of the same burns Hermione had, a sprained ankle, wrist and nose. Concussion, some internal bleeding and the remnants of a couple of hexes”

Hermione tensed against him. 

Harry was throwing back a couple of potions and Hermione grabbed his tea from the table and handed it to him. 

“That’s about all I can do for now - I assume you all will be going back to the Burrow soon? Have Bill let me know when you’re settled in there. I’ll come by and check in on you lot a couple of times.”

Ron really appreciated him saying that - he didn't want to have to find new people to explain injuries too. 

“Thank you so much, Healer Jenkins - can you have those additional potions sent to me for all of us? I’ll keep track of them. If you could include some calming draughts and dreamless sleeps, that would be great too.” Hermione said 

Ron was again struck by how she was already planning ahead, and looking after them. 

Jenkins nodded and went to say something but stopped, he moved towards the door and turned around. 

“I know you are all about to get hounded for, well the rest of your lives with this but… Godric, thank you seems like a lame response but, thank you. Thank you for what you’ve done. For what you gave up, I’m sure we will never understand the extent of your sacrifice but, sodding hell, thank you.”

They all smiled awkwardly as he left. Once the door was closed it felt like the air stood still. Harry got up, off the bed and walked towards Hermione and Ron who were still standing so close together and enveloped them in a hug. The moment he did, emotions welled up inside all of them. Hermione wrapped an arm around each of them, sobbing, Ron and Harry both had tears leaking from their eyes. They stood there, holding each other for who knows how long. The feeling wasn’t sadness, it was a sense of relief, and of gratefulness. 

Harry backed away first and Ron kept his arm firmly around Hermione's waist, which Harry glanced at and smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Covers from when they return to the burrow to when the family finds out what happened at Malfoy Manner.

~~ 

It was their first night all back at the Burrow. They had stayed at Hogwarts for a couple of nights while the dust settled. Everyone was working 20-hour shifts either helping clean up, in the infirmary or with the awful logistics that came with ending the war. Arrests were being made, death eaters rounded up, families notified etc. 

Molly had been catatonic in a way. Comforting others, giving everyone jobs, making sure everyone was useful. The moment they got back she broke down, sobbing. Bill and Ron rushed to support her one on each arm, bringing her inside. They had all just disaperated over together. Hermione and Ron had been holding hands but when he saw his mum fall he rushed forward. They all slowly made their way inside. 

Hermione was relieved to see the Burrow had been rather untouched but she knew that Charlie had come by this week a couple of times to make sure it was safe and had likely hidden some damages. 

Once inside, Fluer and Percy started arranging some of the food that had been sent over while they were gone on the table. Harry moved to help Arthur start to rearrange the furniture to accommodate the large group. Hermione looked to her side and saw Ginny, looking around, dazed. 

“Let's go to your room and change, put our things down”

Ginny nodded and they made their way up the stairs. George was ahead of them and went straight into his room and closed the door. 

Once inside Ginny's room, she put her trunk down and sat on the bed. They hadn’t had the chance to chat alone yet. Hermione sat next to her. 

“I missed you so much this year Ginny.”

“Yeah well I did want to be there with you” she replied, quite bitter. 

Hermione knew she was still angry and was grateful the blame for Ginny’s anger was mainly Harry’s burden. 

“You know…”

“Yes. I know. Logically I know why, but after everything that happened this year with the Carrows, with not knowing where you all were, with how this all ended - I just, I’m not done being angry yet.”

“Ok” Hermione replied. 

“I know you don’t want to sleep in here with me, I know you’ll probably leave me alone and sneak up to Ron’s room.”

Harry and Ginny were not officially back together yet so Hermione's idea about her and Harry just swapping rooms had fallen through. 

“If you don’t want to be alone, I won’t leave”

“I don’t want to be alone” 

“Ok, I promise I will stay.”

Ginny’s shoulders relaxed for the first time.

“Thanks Mione”

She smiled and leaned over so that their shoulders bumped together. 

“You’re a much better roommate than either of them I promise” 

“Yeah because if you were to sneak out of here it would be to be ‘roomates’ with my brother and not to shag”

“Ginny!! We haven’t - we didn’t…”

Ginny raised her eyebrows at her - the whole family had seen them be inseparable the last couple of days. Ron always needed to have a hand physically on Hermione and she needed it just as much as he did. 

“Ginny, we didn’t. We said we would wait until the war was over to… be anything. You were there when it started. When I threw myself at him, that was the first time we ever kissed.” 

Ginny actually looked disappointed 

“Alright, fine - I’ll have to consult the pool and see who actually won the bet”

“BET?”

“The pot has been ongoing for what - 3 years now? Fred and George started it, there must be 30 people in. The prize is 300 galleons” 

Hermione was both furious, embarrassed and amused. 

“Who won?”

“I have to check but I think… I think it’s Geroge”

“Alright well, he’ll like that”

“Yeah”

They sat in silence for a bit before changing and heading back downstairs. The table had been set and people were starting to sit down. 

Hermione slid in next to Ron who looked up at her, clearly exhausted but smiled genuinely. Dinner started, in silence. 

Molly spoke up and said 

“While under my roof boys and girls will not, under any circumstances share bedrooms unless they are married”

Ron tensed. Hermione went tell him it was ok, she expected it when -

“Mum everyone here just fought in a bloody war, we’re not girls and boys. We’re adults and will sleep where we please” 

“Ronald - “

Hermione was shocked at how serious he was. She didn’t want to sleep apart from him either but had already promised Ginny anyway. 

“Ronald you will not speak to me that way, this is my home. You will follow my rules.”

“It’s bloody - “

Hermione grabbed his hand and squeezed hard and he looked at her. She quietly said 

“It’s ok. I’ll be in Ginny’s room. It’s close by, don’t worry.”

He went to reply when Molly said 

“It’s highly inappropriate and I won’t have you comprise my son Ms Granger. You’ll do well to respect the rules of my house”

Everyone seemed taken aback by that statement. It was said with such anger and disdain, Hermione was hurt. She didn’t think she’d be explicitly on the receiving end of criticism. 

Ron was bright red and shaking 

“Do NOT speak to her like that - what is this? Ms Granger? Hermione has been a part of this family for years now and we all bloody well know I am the prick in this relationship, don’t you dare accuse her of doing anything wrong.”

“Don’t speak to your mother like that”

“Tell her not to speak to my girlfriend like that!”

That was the first time he said it out loud. Everyone’s eyebrows shot up, Hermione tried desperately to make herself smaller. 

Molly stood up. “As I said, respect the rules of the house or leave”

She exited upstairs, Arthur sighed and followed. Bill and Fleur started to clear the table. No one really said anything, knowing that tensions were high and it was best to just let everyone simmer down. Ron was shaking and gripping her hand tight, angrily shoving food in his face.

“Ginny asked me to stay in her room so that she isn’t alone, I promised”

He looked at her and the anger shifted to disappointment

“You don’t wanna keep…”

They had just naturally ended each day sharing a bed since the battle ended and it was without a doubt one of the only things keeping her together, but Ginny needed her too. 

“Ron, of course, I do. Frankly, I’m scared of sleeping apart, I don’t fancy it at all but Ginny needs me and we have to be understanding with your mom”

“Mum cannot speak to you like that, ever.”

Hermione smiled softly 

“Well I prefer if she didn’t to be honest, that was hurtful, but her anger needs to be directed somewhere.”

Ron gripped her hand 

“No, no excuse. She can’t talk to you like that, don’t make it ok.”

“Ok, that sucked”

“Yeah it was bloody ridiculous”

“Language” 

He leaned over just slightly and pressed his lips to hers, quickly but firmly. She blushed and smiled, looking up at him with her big brown eyes. They heard a cough from across the table. 

Charlie was smirking at them, Bill and Percy standing behind him. 

“Oy, you got something to say too?” Ron asked, frustrated.

“No mate, it’s just something we gotta get used to - can’t believe you’d lower your standard so much, Hermione” 

“Sod off Charlie”

Bill spoke up 

“I think what is really on everyone's mind is who won the bet”

“Bet?” Ron asked 

“I’m told it’s Geroge,” said Hermione 

He looked at her, confused. She said she’d explain later.

An hour later, all the siblings and significant others were sitting around the fire. Bill had pulled out some fire whisky. They have started asking questions about where Ron and Harry and Hermione have been but found that it was all too fresh. So instead Charlie was currently telling a wild tale of the Dragon escape from earlier that year. Ron and Hermione were on the couch next to each with on the other side Harry. Ginny sat across from them in an armchair with Percy perched awkwardly on the armrest. Charlie was in front of the fire with a large glass of fire whiskey in hand near where Fleur and Bill were leaning against the wall. They all fell silent as Arthur came down the stairs. He said 

“Molly is asleep, I gave her a potion” and then he looked at Hermione and said, “I'm sorry about earlier you didn't deserve that.”

Ron was actually quite shocked to hear his father apologize for his mother but appreciate it. 

“I know you all think you're adults because of what you've been through, and maybe you are but you're still our children.”

There was an accepting sigh across the room. Bill pipped up and said Jenkins sent over a few potions does anyone wants dreamless sleep before going to bed.

Hermione considered the past couple nights, as she had definitely have been woken up by some bad dreams. Ron was there to calm her down, she wasn't sure how tonight would go without sharing a bed. She looked at him suspected the same thoughts were running through his head. She glanced over at Harry who took a large swig from the vial while Ron did the same. She paused considered it and then finished off the vial.

They all slowly made their way up the stairs. Ron and Hermione hanging back Ginny went in and didn't close the door on away. Ron and Hermione stood on the landing outside the door. 

“I really don't want to sleep without you. I don't know how I didn't before.”

“I know,” she said, “I'm sorry.”

He put his hands up and said: “No no don't apologize this is my families doing.”

She looked up at him as his arms circled around her waist and hers made his way around his shoulders. Their kisses thus far had mainly been firm and short. There just had not been time. Ron leaned down and she could already tell this was different. He paused just as their lips were about to meet and she looked up, confused 

“Sorry, um, is it ok if I snog you? Properly?” 

She chuckled and said “You never have to ask”

Their lips met and it was heated. He backed her against the wall opposite Ginny’s door. They were tangled and this was clearly escalating quickly when the door next to them opened quickly and George was standing face to face with them, they both looked to the side, arms still grasped tightly around each other 

“Merlins balls, I thought maybe someone had brought some ruddy food or was trying to say goodnight, but it’s just you two making up for lost time? Gross. Godric I need to wash my eyes out”

There was a pause before they all burst out laughing. Geroge’s didn’t quite reach his eyes, but it was really good to hear. 

“If it helps, apparently you won the bet”

His eyes did actually open a little wider

“Bollocks, that does help. That’s a nice chunk of change”

Hermione smiled and attempted to move her arms but Ron refused to let her move. He looked up at George and said 

“Well if that’s all, you can go back in”

George looked at him, shocked

“I’m your brother and I’m MOURNING and you’re just focused on snogging your witch?”

“Right now? Yeah”

Geroge actually did laugh as he closed the door. 

“You should try to talk to him…”

“Hermione, he’ll talk to me when he’s ready. That was the first time I’ve heard his voice in days. That was exactly what he needed”

He resumed kissing her, and she swore she meant for it to be brief but they were quickly getting carried away. She moved her hands to his chest and pushed him away. He looked down at her breathing heavily. They smiled at each other and laughed. He moved his arms and guided her towards Ginny’s door, leaning down and kissing her firmly one more time before saying 

“Goodnight Hermione”

“Goodnight Ron”

“If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to come upstairs, please. Remember what you promised, I want to be there for you.”

She nodded and hugged him tightly. He kissed the top of her head as they separated and she went into Ginny’s room. 

This routine continued for a couple of days until one night, at the end of what had become a nightly drink in front of the fireplace, they realized there was no more dreamless sleep. No one seemed to think twice of it, but Ron could tell Hermione was nervous.


	6. Chapter 6

It was around 3 am when Molly heard it - a piercing scream ringing out through the Burrow. Arthur was already out of bed running out the door, she followed down, it seemed to be coming from somewhere below them. On the stairs, they met everyone. Bill was charging down and she heard Ron and Harry making their way down above. They got to Ginny’s room she was holding the door open, tears running down her face.

“I can’t wake her up”

Charlie had gotten to her first and was shaking Hermione who was convulsing, screaming. Just then Ron burst through the group on the landing, Molly was sure his feet weren’t touching the floor as he ran into the room with Harry close behind. He pushed Charlie off her so forcefully he stumbled back against the wall. Harry helped him up and pushed him out and just closed the door on all of them. He must have silenced the room as the screaming stopped mid-way through. 

The group all just stared at the door, shocked and quite. Ginny went to try to open the door but Arthur stopped her and said 

“I think we should let them be for a bit - Ginny come downstairs, I’ll make you a cuppa” 

The group, including Geroge, surprisingly made their way down to the kitchen. Arthur put on the kettle and they all sat in various places in silence. There was a heaviness in the air.

Eventually, after a while Harry came down and looked surprised to see all of them staring at him, waiting for an explanation. 

“Is there any calming draught?” 

Bill responded “I sent a Patronus to Jenkins, he should be here in a minute with more potions. He can look at her if you want”

“S’probably a good idea, can you send him up when he arrives?”

\--   
Ron felt like his body woke up a couple of seconds before he heard the scream, he knew something was wrong. His feet were moving before his eyes were even fully open. He was flying down the stairs, skipping 5 at a time. He flew over his mum and brothers and straight past Ginny. He saw Charlie with his hands on her and ripped him off before kneeling next to her. He heard a slight commotion and the door closed and he was alone with Harry. She was screaming, tears running down her face, her body shaking. He couldn't wake her, he pointed his wanted and said 

“Rennervate”

Her eyes shot open, she gasped for breath and sat up, he tried to have a hold on her arms but she leaned over the bed and was sick. His heart was beating so fast, he needed to do more. He heard Harry vanish the sick as he slipped one arm under her knees, the other under her shoulders as he lifted her into his lap and held her as close as he possibly could. She was hyperventilating and trying to say something. He smoothed his hand over her hair and his heart broke as the looked up at him with terrified eyes and said 

“It’s a fake, it’s a fake we didn’t take anything”

He thought he was going to be sick. 

“Hermione. It’s done. You are safe. We are at the Burrow. The war is done”

Something seemed to click as she looked around. Harry was crouched right in front of him, his hand on her back. 

She just began sobbing and they held her close. After a couple of minutes, Harry decided to go down and brew a cup of tea for her. 

Once they were alone Ron shifted on the floor, feeling like if he could lean against the bed he could hold her tighter. 

He rocked her back and forth and whispered in her ear 

“You’re safe, I’ve got you, deep breaths my love, please. In … and out. No one will ever hurt you again, I swear, I promise. Please, Hermione, you need to breathe.”

Her body was convulsing in an unnatural way and he hated it. Harry came back in with a cup of tea that was useless until they calmed her down more. Ron looked up at Harry slightly helpless, feeling like he was failing. 

“Jenkins is on his way”

Ron was relieved. 

“You hear that love? Jenkins will be here soon, he can help. Can we do anything for you right now?”

She just cried harder. Ron felt completely and utterly helpless. Thankfully there was a knock on the door. Harry opened it quickly and ushered Jenkins into the room. 

What he saw was a trembling Hermione, curled up in Ron’s lap as he tried to talk to her. Ron looked up at Harry and said 

“Can you explain what happened to him”

Harry turned to Jenkins who was looking at Hermione and Ron, shocked. 

“A couple of weeks ago we were captured by snatchers. They took us to Malfoy Manner. Hermione managed to disguise me but they knew who she was. Bellatrix Lestrangered tortured her, curcio’d her, I can’t even tell you how many times and “ he slowed hard “She used a cursed knife to… carve her” 

Jenkins looked at him, like a shell of a human. He gave himself a moment to be shocked before compartmentalizing and going into healer mode. 

“Ron, I need you to bring her onto the bed. Don’t let go of her but get onto the bed and face me so I can see her.”

Ron did as he said and Jenkins sat beside them. Hermione was still crying, clutching her forearm, convulsing. 

Jenkins did a diagnostic spell and started talking 

“Hermione, I’m going to explain exactly what is happening to you since you are without a doubt the smartest person in the room. This is not uncommon, the after-effects of torture are described as nearly as bad as the act itself. It makes sense to me that these aftershocks are hitting you much later since your body likely never stopped being in flight or fight mode. I need you to take deep breaths as you’re having a panic attack after coming out of what is called a paralysis dreams, it's are essentially reliving the experience. Did anything specific happen tonight that’s been different?”

“She didn’t take dreamless sleep, we ran out”

“That makes perfect sense. Hermione, look at me”

She had started breathing more evenly and locked eyes with Jenkins 

“There she is, the brightest witch of her age! You’re doing great. I’m going to perform a spell to calm your body down and stops the convulsions, then you’re going to take this calming drought and lie down so I can do a further examination”

She nodded, Ron didn't let up his grip on her at all. 

Jenkins performed the spell and Hermione’s body calmed significantly. He handed her the draught and she downed it immediately. Harry then reached over and handed her the tea to help wash it down. 

“Thank you” she whispered. 

Jenkins motioned for Ron to lay her down on the bed, he turned and hesitated, not wanting to let her go. He propped himself up against the wall, sitting up straight and had Hermione lie down, between his legs, her head against his chest. It was a rather intimate position but he didn’t want to physically move away from her. Hermione settled against him and Jenkins stood and performed a few spells, Hermione started to feel better. Her mind had been racing, she had felt like she was back in the Manor, and when she woke up her body wouldn’t calm down. She was starting to feel increasingly in control. She was still clutching her forearm which was covered by her long sleeve shirt, Jenkins looked at it and waited for her to give permission for him to look. 

“Does it hurt?”

“It feels like it’s on fire” 

Jenkins held his breath as he moved to lift the sleeve up, while he was a professional, he was scared of what he would see. When her sleeve was finally pulled up, his heart broke. He felt despondent. It was, disgusting. 

Ron was clearly furious, Hermione was avoiding eye contact. 

Jenkins did a couple of spells and asked it helped, she kept nodding her head no until he cast a rather complicated that essentially put a block between the scar and the rest of her body. He made a note to teach it to the three of them. 

“Thank you,” she said. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t around, I should've brought more potions sooner,” Jenkins said 

“No, thank you so much for coming in the middle of the night. We should’ve paid more attention to the supply” said Harry. 

The room collectively took a breath. Ron was running his hands up and down Hermione’s arms. 

“I have to tell them all, don’t I?” She said 

Ron quickly responded “You absolutely don’t have to. No one will know who you don’t want to. They can bugger off if they think they’re owed anything”

“Ron, it’s fair that they have questions,” she said 

Harry spoke up “I’m not ready to tell them everything either. We will have to eventually though, for the Ministry” 

“I don’t want to tell them,” Hermione said 

“Do you want me to do it?” Asked Ron

“Yes please,” she said. 

\---

Everyone was still just sitting around the kitchen, small talk had been made but mostly everyone was just looking at the stairs. Jenkins came down first and stood near Bill. Harry, Ron and Hermione came down after and stood in front of everyone. 

Harry started 

“We’re not ready to tell you about everything that happened. We know we will have to soon, it will go on record. We will tell you and the order before the public, but not yet” 

Ron stepped forward, he was clutching Hermione's hand in his, she was standing behind him slightly, she looked awful and was staring at the floor. 

“I’m going to tell you about one specific event. This is Hermione’s story but she asked me to tell it. Do not interrupt me, do not ask questions. We are sharing this with you because what happened tonight will probably happen again, less so after Hermione moves into my room - I’m not defying you, mom, healer’s orders” he gestured towards Jenkins who confirmed. 

“It’s important, they help heal each other. He can wake her up” 

Molly made a slight noise but said nothing. 

Ron spoke again. “A couple of weeks ago we were captured by snatchers and taken to Malfoy Manner.”

The room instantly tensed. Everyone had their eyes glued to Ron, and held their breath. 

“Hermione was able to throw a stinging spell at Harry so they wouldn't recognize him. We gave fake names but they thought it was us so brought us in.”

He was looking straightforward, not really at anyone in particular. 

“They - Bellatrix and the Malfoys singled Hermione out. They locked me and Harry in the basement.”

Harry moved to stand more in front Hermione, making everyone nervous of about what was to be said. 

Ron took a deep breath he rushed the words out, he said them rather flatly, but with an undercurrent of rage “Bellatrix tortured her, crurio’d her for, godric knows how long.”

A couple of people gasped, a few started crying. 

He turned to her first and said “Are you sure?” she nodded and he knew she wanted to get this over with. 

“They wanted information, Hermione wouldn’t give it. Then she did this.”

He pulled out their hands that were intertwined and turned so that the scar was facing the room. 

The collective reaction was as expected. Ginny had tears streaming down her face, as did Arthur and Molly. Bill, Fleur and Jenkins all had seen it. Percy looked like he was about to be sick, Charlie was gripping the chair in front of him so tightly his knuckles were white. George looked, blankly. 

Ron pulled the sleeve of her shirt down. 

“We got out of the basement. Bellatrix held the knife up to her neck but Dobby dropped a chandelier on her and I grabbed Hermione and we got away. That is all we will tell you for now and only because of what happened.” 

Ron took a breath “We’ve all been through enough tonight. Jenkins gave us some potions, we’re going to my room. Do not ask for more details tomorrow.” 

He nodded at Jenkins, wrapped his arm around Hermione’s shoulder and led her up to his room. Once inside, he sat her on the bed. He gave her the portion of dreamless sleep and then guided her into bed and under the covers. He pulled her so she was practically on top of his chest as his arms wrapped around. 

“I’m so sorry Hermione-

She interrupted 

“I did what you asked.”

He looked at her slightly confused

“I asked for help, I needed you to tell them. I couldn’t do it but it needed to be done, it wasn’t fair to not say anything and they were going to find out eventually.” 

He nodded 

“Thank you for asking for help. I’m so proud of you.” 

She smiled. Tonight had been awful, it had been terrifying. Ron had been perfect, he took care of her, and protected her and… as awful as she had felt an hour ago, now she felt ok. 

“Will you be able to sleep?” He asked 

She wrapped her legs around his and brought herself closer to him. He smiled for the first time that night. 

“Would it help if I told you a story while you fall asleep? Didn’t your mum used to do that?”

She felt tears well up as he mentioned her parent but it was more that he had remembered. 

“Yeah”

“Alright - this is from memory so bear with me. Babbity Rabbity …..”

\--- 

Harry stood in front of the Weasleys. 

George was shocking, the first person to say anything. 

“She branded her” 

It was a statement. He continued, 

“It won’t heal?”

Harry started to speak but Jenkins cut in 

“It was a cursed blade. I’ll try to look into it, but no. It’s won’t heal” 

He paused 

“I'll be coming by every other day.” he made his way to the floo.

Harry caught his eye and said “Thank you”

Jenkins nodded solemnly. 

Bill spoke up after Jenkins had gone. 

“That’s all for tonight folks, let's all go back to bed. Dreamless sleep is on the counter. For now, we have to share but Jenkins will be bringing a supply for everyone.”

Arthur had to practically carry Molly, Bill stepped in to help and Fleur followed. Charlie grabbed the bottle of fire whiskey violently, took a massive swing and slammed it down on the table before exiting. Percy wandered off, George also took a shot of fire whiskey before leaving. Harry stared at Ginny, she held his gaze. 

“I need you tonight,” He said. 

“I need you too” She responded.

**Author's Note:**

> Have never written anything before but this was always how I pictured this scene.


End file.
